by Corgan Petersen and Christin Hitz

In May of 2014, auditions were held at Atlantic High School for the Southwest Iowa Honor Marching Band.  Kids from all over Southwest Iowa came for their shot at getting into the honor band, which would perform in the State Fair Parade and take a trip to Florida to perform at the Outback Bowl.

Six students from Atlantic were selected including sophomore Katie Darrow, juniors Emily Yager, Will Weppler, Seth Schulte, and Corgan Petersen, and senior Mark Stinn.  The six students joined many other students from southwest at a week long camp to learn the music and how to march.  The band was very excited to play at the State Fair Parade but unfortunately did not perform due to rain.

The band met once more in Nov. to practice before their trip to Florida.  On Dec. 27 the band met at Atlantic High School to discuss final issues and then departed for Florida.   The bus ride to Florida took longer than expected because one of the four buses broke down just a few hours into the 30 hour ride.

The band’s first stop would be Universal Studios, where they would spend two of the eight days.  On the fourth day in Florida, the band went to a mall, the beach on the Gulf of Mexico, and practiced in a parking ramp.  On the fifth day in Florida, they had a mass band rehearsal with almost 3,000 kids, performed in the Outback Bowl parade, and partied at Busch Gardens.  The band received first in the open class and won a large trophy.  On the sixth day, there was another mass band rehearsal, the performance in the Outback Bowl, and a dinner-dance cruise. To end the trip was another two day bus ride home.

Upon returning home students said their goodbyes to newly made friends and went on about their day to day lives.  Now students look forward to other band and choir competitions or sporting events for chances to see their friends again.